Six stamps and one miniature sheet illustrate the history and process of brewing as we celebrate the 150-year anniversary of brewing in Jersey.
54p - Malts & Hops
Malts & hops are the raw ingredients used in brewing. Maris Otter pale ale malt, the finest malting barley is the basis for most of Jersey’s beers. Crystal malt, which gives reddish hues to the beer and chocolate malt are also used. Whilst malt adds colour, flavour and sugar content to the beer, hops contribute a characteristic bitterness and its resins give aroma.
74p - Mashing
At the mash tun (a large brewing vessel), water is added to the malted barley at a controlled temperature. The starch-rich grain contains a number of enzymes that are reactivated by the water. These enzymes break down the starch into sugars.
88p - Adding the Fresh Hops
The hops are added to the sugar solution, which is called ‘wort’ and the mixture is boiled up for around an hour to an hour and a half. This extracts a lot of the bitterness and the aroma. It also adds colour and sterilises it.
£1 - Fermentation
Once the goodness has been extracted from the malt and hops the brew is cooled and transferred into a fermenter. The yeast is added to the wort and it starts to ferment into alcohol. The yeast rises to the top and is skimmed off into a yeast vessel to be used for brewing the next week. The by-product given off is carbon dioxide, lending the fermentation area a pungent whiff!
£1.25 - Racking
Racking is a brewing terms used to describe the transfer of beer from one vessel to another. The aim is to do so efficiently, in the shortest time, without causing it damage. In this case, the beer is put into kegs, which are then stacked onto pallets to be sold around the island and further afield.
£1.30 - A Perfect Pint
The finished product! A pint of beer, against the beautiful Jersey backdrop of Mont Orgueil Castle. Over the past 150 years, the beverages brewed in Jersey have become well loved by locals and have won numerous awards. Even those who holidayed to the island in the past will fondly remember our local brews as a highlight of their time here.
£3 - The Miniature Sheet
The illustration on the Miniature Sheet depicts a typical delivery vehicle of the 1920s loaded with barrels in the courtyard of the brewery.
Brewing is an important part of Jersey’s cultural heritage and can be traced back 150 years to 1871 when the Ann Street brewing operation in St Helier, the Island’s capital, was started by a Mr J S Palmer. He had a vision to rival the best British brews of the time by creating ‘prime ales and porter of superior quality’.
Today known as the Liberation Brewery (and part of the Liberation Group), it has surpassed those initial goals; becoming part of Channel Island legend and winning numerous national and international awards.
The Ann Street Brewery was rebuilt in the 1930s, and then commandeered during the occupation in the Second World War. During this time, it continued brewing under a German brewer. The 1970s and 80s saw vast expansion for the business, fuelled by popularity amongst tourists. Then, in 2003, the brewery was relocated to Tregear House at Longueville in the eastern parish of St Saviour and in 2009, it became Liberation Brewery.
Brewing is, and always has been, a labour of love for Jersey’s brewers. Far from a modern production line, today it is still seen very much as a craft and there is a real sense of anticipation and excitement for the finished product, knowing that not every brew will taste exactly the same. The passion, skill and care that goes into each brew is evident, not least through the numerous national and international awards that Jersey’s beers have won.
In today’s production process, Liberation’s brewers will eagerly tell you the brewery has its own well which provides the water for the beer, and they make their own yeast; adding to its unique flavour.
This traditional craft is celebrated through this issue on six stamps and a Miniature Sheet. Illustrated by Chris Wormell. They depict the raw ingredients and six different stages in the brewing process, as well as a typical 1920s transport vehicle in the courtyard of the brewery.
